Four Easy and Painless Ways to Cut Your Spending

Maybe your hours have been cut at work and you need to immediately find more money in the budget. Or perhaps you are weary of having more month than money left and having to work extra overtime to make ends meet. Or maybe you have come to the realization that you are spending too much of your hard-earned money on things that cost more than they should, or that you don’t really need.

No matter the reason, you are ready and willing to cut your spending and gain control of your finances. Fortunately, there are many ways to do just that — and chances are, they’re all pretty painless:

Carry Food Wherever You Go

Eating out costs more than making your own meals — at least the vast majority of the time. To help avoid the temptation to drop money into a vending machine in the break room or hit the drive thru on the way home when you are starving, keep healthy and tasty snacks in your purse or backpack at all times. This way, when hunger strikes, you will be ready with a granola bar, cheese and crackers pack and/or baggie or wheat crackers. Dropping four quarters into a vending machine every work day adds up to at least 20 clams a month; you can buy the same snacks for a fraction of this money and save the difference.

Shop for a Better Deal on Your Smartphone

If you are thinking of ditching your smartphone for one of those uber cheap models you can buy at the grocery store, please think again. You can either shop around for a better and more affordable plan and you might also be able to upgrade to a new phone at a better price than you are paying now. For example, T-Mobile features budget-friendly data plans like T-Mobile ONE — the plan offers unlimited talk, text and LTE data along with the convenience of AutoPay. As a bonus, the taxes and fees are already included in the price, so you can rest assured that the amount the T-Mobile representative quotes you will be “the” price. Whether your smartphone is for work and/or personal use, you can definitely still have a great phone with all the bells and whistles you need, all for a lower price.

While You’re at it, Ask for Better Prices on Other Services

As The Balance notes, set aside an hour or two and call all of your other service providers — this includes your cable and/or satellite service, newspaper, internet company and others — and ask them to give you a better price. If you have received flyers in the mail from some of these companies offering new customers screaming deals, you can politely mention this in your call. Mention how you are a loyal customer and that you would like to stay with the company if you can, but that you really need to trim back what you are paying; in many cases, the businesses may be willing to give you a better price to keep your business.

Learn to Shop the Sales

Most items in the grocery store have a predictable 6-week sales pattern. As Credit notes, try to stock up on the items that you love and use the most when they are on sale. The goal is to purchase enough to last you until the next sales cycle comes along. For instance, if your fave cereal is priced at 99 cents a box if you buy four boxes, you won’t have to pay the regular $3.99 price when you run out. While it may seem counter-intuitive to spend more money on groceries when you are trying to spend less, in the long run this approach will save you some serious cash.